The invention concerns an arrangement comprising a first drive device for moving a moveable furniture part, wherein the first drive device has a lockable first ejection device for ejection of the moveable furniture part from a closed position into an open position and a first locking device for locking the first ejection device in a locking position. The first ejection device can be unlocked from the locking position by an overpressing movement of the moveable furniture part into an overpressing position which is beyond the closed position. The arrangement further includes a synchronizing device for synchronizing the first drive device with a second drive device, and the synchronizing device is moveable by the first drive device. In addition, the invention concerns an article of furniture comprising such an arrangement.
Drive devices—so-called touch-latch mechanisms—for moving or ejecting moveable furniture parts (drawers, furniture doors, flaps and so forth) have already been known for many years in the furniture fitment industry. With those devices, the opening movement is performed automatically, and a user only has to apply pressure to the moveable furniture part to activate the ejection mechanism.
Especially when dealing with wide drawers, two drive devices are often provided at mutually opposite side regions of the drawer or the furniture carcass in order to reliably detect pressure being applied to the drawer at any location. If now however only one of those two drive devices is triggered by that pressure applied to the drawer, problems can arise like inclined positioning of the drawer or jamming or wedging.
To resolve those problems, various methods involving synchronizing devices for synchronizing the two drive devices are already known from the state of the art. By virtue thereof, movements of the two mutually spaced drive devices are coordinated, in other words synchronized. That is intended to guarantee a set of movements which is of the same kind at both sides.
Examples of such drive or ejection devices with synchronization are to be found in EP 2 429 339 B1, WO 2009/114884 A1, EP 1 314 842 B1 and AT 008 882 U1. With those devices, the entire unlocking operation and also a part of the ejection operation are synchronized. Particularly in the overpressing movement, that has the disadvantage that pressure always has to be applied against the ejection force storage means of both ejection devices, thereby giving an impression of relatively stiff and sluggish unlocking. Another disadvantage is that a relatively large front panel gap is necessary to provide for unlocking at both sides by virtue of the large clearance between the many components.
Another example of synchronization is disclosed in WO 2013/059847 A1, which in particular involves locking—and not unlocking—occurring synchronously on both sides in order to guarantee reliable and trouble-free closure.
In addition, attention is also to be directed to DE 20 2009 005 255 U1 which, unlike the above-listed specifications, does not have an independent component of the ejection device, as a synchronization element. Rather, in this case the drawer itself so-to-speak forms a synchronization element as the force of a latching fitment which has just been unlocked is transmitted by way of the drawer to the other latching fitment whereby the force of both ejection force storage means provides for unlocking of the other latching fitment. A disadvantage here is that really high forces are acting in particular in the operation of unlocking the other latching fitment. In addition, by virtue of synchronization by way of the drawer itself, the structure involves a large clearance whereby a severely inclined position can already be involved in unlocking the other latching fitment. In addition, the triggering travel in particular for the other latching fitment is long.